99% drop in West Yorkshire Police flouting fines after Boris Johnson eased lockdown restrictions

The stats, issued by the National Police Chiefs Council, show that the force handed out 860 fines between March 27 and May 11, or an average of 20 fines per day.

Lockdown restrictions were eased slightly by Boris Johnson on May 13, but the amount per fine was increased from £60 to £100.

From Wednesday 13 May, the minimum fine in England increased from £60 to £100, reducing if paid within 14 days. The upper limit for fines also increased from £960 to £3,200.

On that day, the limits on exercise were lifted, and people were also told they could sunbathe and play non-contact sports such as golf, as long as social distance was maintained.

In the period between May 12 and May 25, just 21 fines were issued by West Yorkshire Police, - an average of 0.14 per day, which represents a 99.3 per cent fall in the number of fines being given out after restrictions were eased.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: "West Yorkshire Police has issued 881 Covid 19 related fixed penalty notices since the beginning of lockdown (figures for 27 March to 25 May), as most people continue to follow the Government advice.

"The force, which is the fourth largest police force in England and Wales has issued the fourth highest volume of tickets, which is proportionate to the size of the Force, but the bulk of these were issued at the start of the period, when restrictions were more stringent. In recent weeks, very few have been issued.

"Our approach has always been to use enforcement as a last resort, with the focus on engagement and education. As might be expected, as the restrictions become less stringent so the number of fixed penalties issued has fallen.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Kingsman said the force remained pleased with the high levels of compliance across local communities. He said: “Advice and guidance continues to change week by week and we would ask the public to continue to check for the latest information, follow the rules and help keep themselves and other safe.”

Nationally, fines were handed out mostly to young men aged 18-24, and during evenings and weekends during sunny weather, the NPCC said.

In England, since restrictions were eased, fines have been issued for reasons such as driving with non-household members, house parties, large gatherings of people from different households, and camping, among other things.

National Police Chiefs' Council Chair Martin Hewitt said: “As restrictions are carefully eased, the public have been able to go about their business in greater numbers, and with greater flexibility.

“The collective public effort over the past two months has meant police officers have only rarely had to step in to enforce regulations and even less so in the past few weeks. I am confident the vast majority will continue to act responsibly. We will be issuing guidance to officers on how to approach new changes to the regulations in the coming days.

“The overarching aim of the police response has always been to keep people as safe as possible, and encourage them to follow the regulations, thereby reducing the transmission of the virus. We will continue to play our part and are grateful for all of the positive engagement we have had with the public to date.”

Mr Hewitt added: “There is still a responsibility on us all to abide by the regulations set in each part of the UK, and to follow public health guidance as best we can when out and about. Throughout this pandemic, officers have only enforced as a last resort and have taken a common sense approach, applying their discretion and judgement when engaging with the public.”